Tulsa’s Future III, the third phase of a regional economic development plan led by the Tulsa Regional Chamber, helped create 4,897 direct jobs in 2017, an almost 30 percent increase over 2016.

The Tulsa’s Future plan has provided support for the creation of more than 53,000 jobs in Tulsa since its inception in 2005.

“There has been a tremendous amount of collaboration, and Tulsa has really transformed itself in the timespan of Tulsa’s Future,” said Brien Thorstenberg, senior vice president of economic development for the Chamber. “In the same way, Tulsa’s Future has transformed from its first two phases. Now two years into our third phase, Tulsa’s Future III focuses on more directly measurable goals and continues to exceed our benchmarks for economic growth. 2017 was no different.”

Recent highlights of Tulsa’s Future support include assistance with DISH Network’s expansion, which added 250 new jobs; Ingredion’s move to Oklahoma, which brought 60 jobs; and Greenheck Group’s manufacturing campus groundbreaking, which brought 75 new jobs.

“The significance of pursuing primary jobs is that they create other jobs in the economy,” Thorstenberg said. “Tulsa’s Future supports Tulsa regional businesses directly and indirectly to add actual billions in labor income and billions more to the overall economy.”

An analysis of the economic impact of Tulsa’s Future shows 4,897 quality jobs created last year, infusing an estimated $536.4 million of labor income into the regional economy in 2017 alone.

“These statistics solely represent jobs at companies with which we have actively worked, and which are actually in our region,” Thorstenberg said. “They have all been possible through collaborative efforts with our regional partners, including municipalities, tribes, educational institutions and workforce organizations, among others. This collaborative approach has been an important component that sets us apart from the majority of cities competing for the same jobs.”

Tulsa’s Future had a significant increase in requests for proposals (RFPs) in 2017, including 11 in October alone. The increase in RFPs suggests that economic development activity will likely remain strong in the coming year.